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The Big Brain Theory

Isha Deshmukh


Sheldon: “Sheldon Cooper does not cry.”
Howard: That's true, you'd rust.
These lines perfectly sum up Sheldon Cooper’s character — a human robot. Anyone familiar with the sitcom The Big Bang Theory would know Sheldon and his quirks. The character checks off all the boxes of the eccentric genius trope. An unusually high IQ, a severe lack of social skills, narcissistic behavior that even frustrates the audience. Christine N. Winston of Women's Christian College in Chennai writes about how this trope is not entirely wrong as it is based on the Big-c type creativity of the “Four-c creativity model”. Big-c or eminent creativity is the kind found in people making revolutionary contributions to their respective fields — Einstein, Newton, Beethoven, Steve Jobs, or Steven Spielberg — scientists, musicians, artists, all exhibit this type.

Sheldon’s eccentric characteristics include his child-like behavior of wanting things his way or throwing temper tantrums, his extreme sense of superiority which leads him to believe that everyone else is intellectually inferior, his egocentrism due to which he expects others to do things for him and is inconsiderate of their situation. He states at one point how he thinks he is “too evolved to drive” and he is part of a new species — a homo novus. He exhibits a severe lack of social skills except for those taught to him as “rules” by his mother and friends ; when a friend is feeling down, he forces them to have a hot beverage because, in his words, “Social protocol states that when someone is down you offer them a hot beverage.” His friends learn cheat codes to function around his quirks such as telling him something is a non optional social convention when he is reluctant to do it. He has no understanding of social cues; he doesn’t know that people on a date have to be left alone or even that his girlfriend needs emotional support. He also exhibits very little emotion, and is unable to identify his own feelings. Just like one would train a robot, he has to be taught basic commands to function in society.

Most of these behaviors are in keeping with those exhibited by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as defined in the DSM-5. ASD includes deficits in social communication, restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interest and activities, failure to develop peer relationships, lack of social and emotional reciprocity and an inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals. Impairments of social interaction deficits while using multiple non-verbal behaviors like facial expression and eye-to-eye gaze are also present.

Sheldon has no peer relationships as a child. He also has a very strict routine for his week, in terms of clothes, underwear, cuisine, and unwinding activities — for example, he wears a Batman T-shirt, eats the same Thai takeout and then goes out for new comic book day every Wednesday, and a change in this schedule really disturbs him and makes him uncomfortable.

This character analysis has led many, including the actor that plays Sheldon - Jim Parsons, to believe that Sheldon might have ASD. Even an advocate for autism, Dr. Grandin believes that Sheldon shares these characteristics of ASD with Steve Jobs and Einstein. But creators of the show say that he doesn’t fall on the autism spectrum. For this reason, Parsons claims that he has no social responsibility. But is it right to claim so?

Sheldon’s character fits in with many stereotypes of the “mad-genius”. This stereotype makes it appear as though eccentricity or madness is just something that comes along with a certain kind of genius, that they are just bearing the cost of their extraordinary talents. What is ignored is the fact that these people might actually have certain disorders and could do with some help. This fact is not taken into account because of the excessive propagation and acceptance of this theory in popular culture. Even this show makes light of Sheldon’s symptoms with his popular punchline — “I’m not crazy. My mother had me tested.” This stereotype can be compared to the stereotype of artists needing a little pain and sadness to produce art, thus leading people to ignore the possibility of them actually suffering. The show also romanticizes his symptoms to look cute and quirky instead of something potentially harmful.

Sheldon clearly suffers from OCD. He has to knock doors a certain number of times in a fixed pattern, is uncomfortable if interrupted and has to complete the pattern to feel okay. He can’t stand a change in his environment, and any change leads him to believe that something bad is going to happen. But the show makes his OCD into a punchline too.

The Big Bang Theory may be a mega- hit show, but it has followed the footsteps of creating characters like Frankenstein or Dr. House from House in perpetuating the stereotype of mental illnesses being a price of genius. People like Jobs and Einstein are thought to have ASD symptoms, but their lack of social skills and such have been glorified to an extent where even the thought of them having a mental disorder is hard to consider. How can geniuses not have perfect minds?

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